Hi, guys! I was dialoguing with someone on world religions and realized I didn’t know very much about Zoroastrianism. I started brushing up on it and read Cecil’s comments in this column:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020201.html
Pretty weak, Cecil! Has this column been discussed here at Straight Dope Forum before? Should I try to search for it? Would be interested in hearing more details.
“Dialoguing with”? Yuk.
Anyway, my language hangups aside, I don’t see any other threads about it in Comment on Cecil’s Columns. But I’m curious as to what was so weak about the answer? He wasn’t explaining Zoroastrianism, he was discussing the development of the concept of paradise.
Well, Zelmph(!), let me dialogue with you a little. (Haw!)
Actually, I can’t say much - because I don’t know enough abotu Zoroastrianism to do so! However, something that seems fishy to me right off the bat is that Cecil claims Zoroastrianism influenced Christianity’s view of Paradise. But the history I have read says that Zoroastrianism interacted with Judaism, not Christianity. So if it exerted an influence on the Judeo-Christian cosmology, it began during the Old Testament times.
That’s for one. The other thing is the Master just seems kind of lazy in his tone in this column. Can ya help a brother out, anyone?
Cecil’s columns are limited in length, since they’re syndicated. Hence, when he addresses complex topics, he sometimes (of necessity) abridges or uses shortcuts … especially when it comes to info that it readily available in any encyclopedia, say.
True, CK. But I have seen better from Cece on complex topics given the same space constraints, which is why I’m a little disappointed with this one.