From: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: Templars not Masons <flame risk HIGH>
Date: 1 Sep 92 14:59:38 GMT
Reply-To: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Organization: LaserMaster Technologies, Minneapolis, MN

In article <2AA2AB57.16498@orion.oac.uci.edu>, cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis 
Maria Cortese) writes:
> In article <1992Aug31.163921.19309@lmt.mn.org> ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org 
(Ciaran 
> Benson) writes:
> >  As a service of our National Parks System, this post is
> >ranked HIGH on the potential flame scale.
> >
> >  Burn at your own risk.
> 
> [Ciaran's post about Templars deleted]
> 
> Hon, I thought I knew a smidgen about the Knights Templar, but I had no
> idea that they had done anything worthy of pissing someone off to this
> extent.  It was my understanding that they were just a bit different and
> suffered under the Church when their power began waning.  What the hell
> did they do that was so awful?  This is a serious question.  I thought I
> knew more than most about the Knights Templar and never ran into
> anything distasteful that was attributed to them by any other than their
> enemies, and it was the usual "devilry" of which anyone stomped on by
> the Church stood accused.
> 
> Blessings,
> Janis the Most Curious

and From: SL500000@brownvm.brown.edu (Robert Mathiesen) 

>Ciaran, you've mixed up the Templars with the Teutonic Knights; it was the 
latt
>er who did a job on Prussia and eventually also other Baltic and Slavic 
lands.
> I certainly agree with your dislike of crusading orders, but rage is more 
effe
>ctive when combined with knowledge.  -- Robert

  d'Oh ... damn.  I hate it when I build up a good head of steam
on the wrong group.

  You're right, I'm sorry.  I spit on the Teutonic orders, not
on the Templar orders.

  I do the same thing with first names -- I learn one person's
name that starts with a "J", and in the process forget someone
else's that starts with a "J".  Yupper, Janis, that means that
yesterday I called "Jim", "Janis".  Boy, was he confused!

  Anyways, I looked at that post again and was kinda struck by
the venom that I'd spewed.  If it's any help, I wasn't trying
to be historically correct, I just had some spleen to vent.

  Funny story, though ...

  I was working out for a stage-fighting sequence we were doing
for *The Scottish Tragedy*, and one of the others in the cast
came up and asked if I wanted to do some free-style with broad-
swords.  We were getting warmed up, and he says; "Boy, ya know,
this makes me feel just like a Teutonic Knight!"

  So I says, with red glowing eyes; "How'd ya like to REALLY
feel like a Teutonic Knight?  Stand there whilst I find something
BIG to HIT you wif !!"

  After that, the fight director called me "the machine" and would
send people over for 10-minute workouts if he didn't think they
were giving it their all.

  So thank you world, for allowing me this little tirade.  I'll
sit back now and breath easier for awhile.

  It does make me want to sit down with my Grandmother and talk
with her ALOT about what happened when she was smuggled out of
Lithuania, and what she remembers about life there.

  All she's told me about it is the trouble they had with the
church trying to get out, and a few tidbits about magic.

  Grandma's tidbit #1;  If you're going to make something to
last, make it magical.  It'll be lighter, last longer, and
do its job truer.

  Maybe I'll make that my sig.

  Blessed be, Ciaran.

  $uslinit; include oblig.sig <<
  "...And here, Queen Aphrodite, pour heavenly nectar into gold
   cups, and fill them gracefully with sudden joy."  -- Sappho >>