I went to a talk on ancient Egypt today and this interested me.
![[Image: socialpyramid.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i731.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fww312%2Ffr0d0_bucket%2Fsocialpyramid.gif)
The Egyptian social strata mimics many civilizations from the past, with common or garden priests living it up there on a level with doctors and engineers, and high priests rubbing shoulders with royalty.
In Judaic history the Pharisees were lawyers interpreting biblical law, were crossover priests/ lawyers. Law and religion being a closely related discipline... relating the law to everyday situations and serving justice.
And friends I have who are ministers certainly seem to hold equal societal position with lawyer friends, even though in modern society the gap between each's salary is huge.
I guess the priesthood held the key to what the people thought. What interests me is, where has that power shifted in modern society? Who controls what we think? I guess the revolution occurred or sprang from the enlightenment. A departure from a tradition which saw the embracing of science and reasoning as an evolutionary step. (I make no comment on that)
What controls what we think now though? Are we free to choose or are we directed by the Zeitgeist? Were the choices in an autocracy the same?
The Egyptian social strata mimics many civilizations from the past, with common or garden priests living it up there on a level with doctors and engineers, and high priests rubbing shoulders with royalty.
In Judaic history the Pharisees were lawyers interpreting biblical law, were crossover priests/ lawyers. Law and religion being a closely related discipline... relating the law to everyday situations and serving justice.
And friends I have who are ministers certainly seem to hold equal societal position with lawyer friends, even though in modern society the gap between each's salary is huge.
I guess the priesthood held the key to what the people thought. What interests me is, where has that power shifted in modern society? Who controls what we think? I guess the revolution occurred or sprang from the enlightenment. A departure from a tradition which saw the embracing of science and reasoning as an evolutionary step. (I make no comment on that)
What controls what we think now though? Are we free to choose or are we directed by the Zeitgeist? Were the choices in an autocracy the same?
