Re: The Dark Force

On Fri, 08 May 2009 09:53:17 -0700, Evan Kirshenbaum
<kirshenbaum@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

James Hogg <Jas.Hogg@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

On Fri, 08 May 2009 15:46:29 +0100, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
<mail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

This concept of Light equals Good, and Dark equals Evil is very old.[1]

From the OED:

dark, a.

II. fig. 4. Characterized by absence of moral or spiritual
light; evil, wicked; also, in a stronger sense, characterized by
a turpitude or wickedness of sombre or unrelieved nature; foul,
iniquitous, atrocious.

a1000 Satan 105 (Gr.) Feond seondon re{edh}e, dimme, and deorce.

"deorce" is an old spelling of "dark".


[1] That means that I don't actually know how old.

I wouldn't be surprised if it goes all the way back to
23 October 4004 BC.

Actually, I only see it used figuratively once in the Torah, in
Genesis 15:12

As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a
great dark dread descended upon him.

The KJV gives this as "a horror of great darkness".

All the other uses in the KJV appear to be literal, including things
like Exodus 20:21: "Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God
was". (The Hebrew uses a different word, meaning "dark cloud" than in
the Genesis passage.) In many later books, darkness is seen as scary
and light is better, but at the same time, God is portrayed as
dwelling in darkness and dark clouds. (So much so that I start to
wonder whether priests at the time it was written weren't perhaps
generating smoky clouds to give worshipers a substitute for icons.)

It's when you start getting into Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Isaiah and the like that you start seeing a real identification of
darkness with evil.


But on that fateful October day, when that God person suddenly
decided to do something, he created light and saw that it was
good. This implies that the darkness that had been was upon the
face of the deep until then was less than good.

On a more serious note, here's an extended clerihew:

How odd of God
To Ussher in
Six thousand years
With such a din
By starting with
Such smart designs
Then screwing up
With Spencer Hines

--
James
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Dark Force
    ...    iniquitous, atrocious. ... like Exodus 20:21: "Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God ... dwelling in darkness and dark clouds. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: THE RELIGION OF ISLAM
    ... the teachings of any mind based religion. ... You will hear the Voice for God. ... images you mind makes in the dark away from God. ... easily done if you refuse to let your mind slip away into darkness. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: The Dark Force
    ... a turpitude or wickedness of sombre or unrelieved nature; ... great dark dread descended upon him. ... The KJV gives this as "a horror of great darkness". ... darkness with evil. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Bad scripture, good scripture
    ... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word ... If he was ill for a day or two it would go very dark and all the men ... The light shines in the darkness, ...
    (alt.religion.christian)
  • Re: RESPECTicals
    ... that rules and guidelines aren't needed, ... Shuttered with branches, dark in the afternoon, ... Earth feet, loam feet, lifted in country mirth ... Which shall be the darkness of God. ...
    (talk.religion.buddhism)